When Julian Lennon sat with author Bart Davis to think about what project he might pursue next, Lennon was planning to write his memoir. You can imagine how interesting a memoir written by the son of famed Beatles music legend John Lennon and Julian’s beloved mother, Cynthia Lennon (John’s first wife), would be, of course. But the conversation took a turn when Davis asked if Lennon had ever considered writing a children’s book. Lennon felt he would only be able to write a children’s book, if it reflected his true passion—mainly his love of the Earth and his commitment to the environment. This exchange led directly to their collaboration on “Touch the Earth,” the first book in what is now a bestselling trilogy of books, followed closely by “Heal the Earth,” and now, the recently released, “Love the Earth”.

Julian Lennon with Denise Albert (The Moms Event, Queensyard, NYC)

This backstory was just one of the interesting things Lennon discussed with Denise Albert at her Mamarazzi® event on Thursday, April 25, at Queensyard restaurant in the brand-new Hudson Yards, NYC. Denise is one half of the duo (with Melissa Musen Gerstein) known as, “The Moms,” –a multi-platform lifestyle brand–and as such the two have appeared on television, radio, online, and through their celebrity Mamarazzi® events. They aim to bring influential moms and celebrities together—usually celebrities who are moms, or parents—or, as in this case, celebrities who have projects relevant to parenting. In this instance, Julian Lennon’s children’s books serve as a starting point to an important conversation parents can have with their young children about what it means to care for, and protect, our Earth.

The event was perfectly timed as it was also “Bring Your Child to Work Day,” and as such, many children were available to participate and listen to Lennon speak about a topic that is so near and dear to his heart. You may know Julian Lennon best for his music and songwriting, and of course for his famous father, or perhaps for the fact that he inspired a few of The Beatles’ songs, including “Hey Jude” … but you may be surprised to learn that Lennon is also a brilliant photographer, as well as a caring documentary writer/producer and environmental philanthropist. (Many of his photographs are scenes from his extensive travels and clearly depict his love for the Earth.) Lennon spoke of following his artistic passions and creative projects, “organically,” seeing what calls to him, and where his efforts can have the most effect.

He accomplishes his humanitarian projects, including these delightful children’s books, through his foundation, The White Feather Foundation. The story of how The White Feather Foundation came to be, is nothing short of miraculous. On one occasion when a young Julian had a visit with his father, John Lennon had told Julian that should he pass away, he would send Julian a symbol of a white feather, to signify that he was O.K., and that everyone was going to be O.K. Many years later, after John Lennon’s tragic death, Julian Lennon was performing in Australia. He received word that there was a crowd of people waiting for him in the hotel lobby, along with camera crews. At first, he thought this was a band-mate’s practical joke, but he went, and discovered an Aboriginal tribe, the Mirning people, waiting for him. The tribal elder handed him a large, white swan’s feather, and said, “You have a voice. Will you help us?” This encounter of ‘the single white feather’, a symbol from his father from the afterlife, gave rise to Julian Lennon’s decision to help this tribe and started his humanitarian work. He created a documentary to help the Mirning cause, and with that, formed The White Feather Foundation to funnel monies received from the documentary to the tribe.

Lennon has always had a connection to the Earth: his love of playing outdoors as a child, his popular environmentally-themed song, “Saltwater,” the documentaries he has written or produced, the creation of the Foundation, all of these prior experiences have led to his entrance into writing children’s books that raise awareness about this issue. The books are charming, well-written by Lennon and Davis and delightfully-illustrated by Smiljana Coh. There are children from all nations portrayed taking journeys through various lands in a mission to save the planet. In a clever and engaging way, the books are “interactive” in that the young reader is directed to point the “white feather flier” (an adorable airplane with large white feather wings) up, or down, or to press an illustrated button on the page for the story to advance.

The third book in Lennon’s bestselling trilogy.

The books impart facts about our planet, yet Lennon has achieved his goal of setting the right tone, and not coming off as “preachy”. These books are meant to be an entrance into a conversation—about the issues that face our world: protecting the land, the water–ways we can all work to improve the one Earth we have. (In Lennon’s words: “Let’s start a conversation about what they are growing up into.”)

The books have become bestsellers, and as such, there is a very distinct possibility that the ‘white feather flier’ will become an animated television show next. Lennon appears to be having a lot of fun with his ‘white feather flier’ as he graciously signed books, chatted, and posed for pictures with each attendee before the event concluded.

The interview ended with “The Moms” signature “Minute with The Moms,” where Albert fired off a few quick questions for Lennon to provide one-word answers. Although we never did find out what his dream date would be (he expertly dodged that one); we did discover he loves to travel and adores Paris; he generally enjoys every kind of music; and his favorite word is “love”. Seems perfectly appropriate for a man who is dedicating his resources, time, energy, and heart to a planet he so dearly loves.

Julian Lennon signed books and posed for photos with all attendees. (Andrea Santo Felcone with Julian Lennon. Photo by Jonathan.)